8 Aug 2011

It’s hard to believe that it has been a year today since we adopted Noodles. He’s come a long way since then but he still has some difficulties adjusting to his new life and I believe he always will. Whilst we were prepared for some of the immediate problems that an ex-stud/kennelled dog may face, there have been many surprises along the way. We anticipated a steep learning curve with things like housetraining, traffic and everyday noises, lack of basic obedience training etc but pacing when stressed, problems with reflective surfaces, fear of water were unexpected.

We were delighted to discover that he enjoys the company of other dogs and he has many good pals. What we were totally unprepared for was his distrust of people. When we met him he was very friendly, jumping all over us, seemingly pleased with the attention. He was also eager to please, a trait that has continued and flourished. It was when we had our first visitor to the house that his problems became apparent (see previous post). Noodles is still very nervous of people and I can only attribute this to a lack of socialisation as a puppy. I’m afraid that my opinion of many breeders and the way they treat their dogs has diminished seeing the long term effects this can have. I know there are responsible breeders who treat their dogs well, but they seem to be in the minority. I have spoken to many other people who have adopted ex-breeding dogs and our experiences have been remarkably similar. These dogs find their new lives bewildering and stressful at first. Owners are sometimes unprepared and struggle to help the dogs acclimatise. There is often a lack of information from the rescue agencies. Not their fault, as they aren’t aware of the full extent of the problems themselves.

Although some ex-breeding dogs end up at their appropriate breed rescue, many are sold on directly from breeders. It seems to me that they are often not classed as true “rescue” dogs but their needs and problems can match or far exceed those of the "traditional" rescue cases we are more familiar with. Whilst I would always advocate adopting a rescue over buying a puppy I realise that this is not appropriate for everyone. These dogs can be hard work but with patience, kindness and lots of hard work it is truly wonderful to see them flourish. The next time you think about sharing your life with another dog, please spare a thought for those ex-breeding dogs who, like Noodles, so deserve a second chance.

13 comments:

Our rescue Collie was very wary of some people, especially men, when we first adopted him. He'll always be a sensitive soul but he can be much more confident these days. I've used various things for him, including Reiki, TTouch, homeopathy and lots of building positive associations with things, with a helpful dose of tuna cake :-)

Deewest NoodlesHAPPY GOTCHA DAY TO YOU!!!!I know that at times it must have been difficult fow you to adjust to youw new life, but I know it'a a life full of love and cawe andfun times wif good fwiends to see and play wif..I know you will continoo to make gweat stwides in adjusting and socialising because you have found the bestest family in the wowld, plus you have Jackson looking out fow you fwom ovew the wainbowyou have fwiends all awound the wowld who love and awe wooting fow you to be always safe and happyall my smoochie kissesASTA

Happy Gotcha day Noodles, found your link on Folksy just read the last post too. Well done to your people for all their work, I have had many rescue dogs with varying issues but non with people so really take my hat off to you - cant have been easy but well worth it.

Sigh. You know where we stand and how we feel about this discussion. Reading your post brought tears, again, to Moma's eyes. We so totally understand. And we totally agree. But, we are here to say: Fergi just celebrated her third GotchaDay ... and still, day by day, she makes progress. We are so happy for you, Noodles and Family, and we have absolute confidence that you, too, will continue to see progress and you will celebrate it years from now, just as you do today. You are in the right home, Noodles, and we are so happy about that.

Hiya Noodles and Happy Gotcha Day! WE found you via our Momster who is on Folksy (Adien Crafts) so she wasvery excited when she saw you have a blog. We'll look forward to reading more about you, once our omster can find your follow button, she's a bit slow sometimes ;-) Dexter and Louis xxx

About Me

In August 2010 we adopted Noodles, a 2 year old Welsh Terrier. He came to us via the Wire Fox Terrier Association Welfare & Rehoming Scheme. Noodles was previously a stud dog and had lived in kennels. This blog follows him on his journey, learning to adjust to life indoors and become a much loved pet.